Moor Close

Moor Close is a large house, now used as a Hall of Residence and part of Newbold College, located in Binfield. The building dates to 1881 and was substantially altered and extended in 1914 by the architect Oliver Hill.

The house is constructed of red brick laid in English bond with decorative patterning in dark headers, beneath an old tile roof that is irregular with gables, Dutch gables and several hipped dormers. The plan is irregular, with a battlemented tower rising above the main structure. The architectural style is Jacobethan.

The exterior is of varying heights—part one and a half storeys, part two storeys, and part three storeys—and features several large decorative chimneys. Windows are predominantly casement windows with mullion and transom designs, many with stone surrounds.

The north-west entrance front has a projecting wing on the left with a single bay containing a single dormer and a single four-light window on the ground floor. The south-west return comprises three bays with three dormers and two seven-light casement windows on the ground floor, with a projecting entrance porch positioned between them. The entrance porch is of stone with a segmental pediment and moulded stone base, and features a large oak plank door.

The south-west garden front is irregular in composition. The left-hand section projects at right angles in three bays, with a single-bay end displaying a Dutch gable and three-light windows in stone surrounds. The south-west return has three Dutch gables, three three-light windows in stone surrounds on the first floor, and a mix of four-light, two-light and six-light windows on the ground floor, all in stone surrounds. The centre section contains three Dutch gables of varying heights; the left gable has a two-light attic window, while the other two have three-light attic windows. Ground and first floors display casement and mullion-and-transom windows of differing sizes. A small recessed single-bay section on the left has a door on the ground floor with overlights and sidelights. Another door near the centre is flanked by three-light windows. On the right, a large canted bay has four two-light windows on the first floor and large mullion-and-transom windows on the ground floor, all with stone surrounds except for the attic windows. The far right contains an irregular section of one and a half storeys with two gables and one dormer, and a two-storey section with one gable, both featuring sash windows and carved bargeboards; this section appears to be unaltered from the original build.

Oliver Hill's interior work remains almost unaltered in the principal ground floor rooms. The first floor, although altered, retains cornices in many rooms. The oak lounge is designed in Jacobethan style with wall panelling, large exposed ceiling joists and a principal beam. A large fireplace occupies one wall, featuring a large stone surround and decorative keystone. A large dog-leg staircase rises from the north-west corner in Jacobethan style, with shaped balusters, moulded handrail, moulded dropped finials, and large square newels with moulded caps.

An L-shaped lounge is designed in Rococo style, with wall panel mouldings featuring bamboo and leaf ornament, moulded skirtings, and moulded ceiling cornices enriched with acanthus leaf and waterleaf ornament. Corinthian pilasters are employed throughout. The south-west wall features a gilded shell niche with moulded architrave and an alabaster scroll keystone.

The former library, now used as a chapel, occupies two levels. The upper level contains a deep Greek frieze, while the lower level has a coffered ceiling with deep, chamfered wooden ribs.

The house forms a picturesque composition with its garden, which was also designed by Oliver Hill. Alterations were made to the house after the garden was completed to obtain optimal views of the garden. The garden features are listed separately, and the garden itself is included as Grade II in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest for Berkshire.